Vignettes
by Quintus C
Summary: A collection of very short stories, all of which began on Thirty Minute Ponies.
1. Sweetienaut

**Sweetienaut**

Rain was pelting the windows of the library. I'd just put Spike to bed and lit some candles to read by when I heard a knock on my door. When I answered it, Sweetie Belle was standing there, dripping wet.

"Hi Twilight," she said. "Um, Rarity kicked me out. Can I come in?"

"Wh—what? Rarity _kicked you out_?"

"Yeah. So, um…"

"Yes, yes, please, come in."

Sweetie Belle walked inside and shook herself off while I closed the door behind her. I lit some more candles in the kitchen and put up some water for tea. Sweetie Belle sat quietly at the table.

"So, what do you mean Rarity kicked you out? I don't know Rarity to kick ponies out into the rain," I said.

"We had a fight," said Sweetie Belle.

"A fight? What kind of fight?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about something. You know a lot about magic, right?"

"I like to think so," I said.

"Do you know if there's a kind of magic that can see into ponies' minds?"

I stopped and gave her a long look.

"Well, yes, I _have_ heard of something like that. From what I know, it's called _extrasensory_ magic; basically, it's a specialized type of magic that can be used to travel into a pony's mindscape. It's sometimes called _psychic_ magic, and ponies who can use it are called psychics. I've never met a pony like that before, though. Why do you ask?"

Sweetie Belle shifted in her seat.

"Sweetie Belle, what happened between you and Rarity?"

"…We were arguing about something—I don't even remember what it was—and we got a little too close together, our horns sort of touched, and…and…and anyway, it was only for a moment! But afterward, Rarity was so mad, I really thought she was gonna kill me. So I ran. And now here I am."

"That's _very_ interesting," I said. "Sweetie Belle, do you think _you_ might have extrasensory magic?"

"I don't know. I don't want it, though. Rarity would probably hate me."

"Oh, I don't think that's true."

"I bet it is! She actually told me to 'Get out'! I've never _seen_ a pony so mad!"

"Come on. She was probably just a bit shocked, that's all. I'll tell you what, I'll let you stay here for tonight, then tomorrow we'll go to the boutique and straighten this all out."

She slouched in her seat. It was then that I heard another knock on the door, and leaving Sweetie Belle in the kitchen, I went to answer it.

It was Rarity, and she looked even worse than her sister had—she was soaked to the skin, and her hooves were caked up to the knees in mud.

"Hello, Twilight," she said. "Listen, um, have you seen Sweetie Belle anywhere? I'm afraid I may have done something terrible, and now she's run off into the storm! I've been looking all over for her, but I haven't been able to find her. Could you help me, please?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I think I can help you. Come inside."

I let Rarity in, closed the door behind her, and led her into the kitchen. When she saw Sweetie Belle, her eyes lit up. She wrapped the little filly in a hug.

"Sweetie Belle! You're here!" said Rarity.

"Rarity? What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm looking for my little sister! I was so worried about you!"

"But…but you told me to 'Get out'! I thought you didn't want me anymore! How could you still want me after I went inside your mind?"

"Oh, Sweetie Belle…I'm so sorry I said those things to you. One doesn't normally expect some pony to poke her way into your mind, but even so, I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I promise I could never hate you, and I'll always want you."

A smile formed on Sweetie Belle's face.

"You mean it?" she said.

"Of course."

Sweetie Belle returned her sister's hug.

"I'm sorry I ran away."

"I'm sorry I chased you," said Rarity. "So, my sister's a psychic, is she? That's wonderful. I'm very proud of your special talent, Sweetie Belle."

Despite how wet they both were, I could tell there were tears in their eyes. I looked out the window.

"Girls," I said. "Not to interrupt, but the rain doesn't seem to be letting up any time soon. Would you like to stay here for tonight?"


	2. The Raccoon

**The Raccoon**

"Oh, my…"

I pushed the foliage aside to get a better look. A raccoon lay sprawled on a patch of grass, bloodied from several nasty-looking wounds. His stomach was rising and falling at a very slow rate.

Pinkie Pie chirped up behind me. "What is it, Fluttershy? What did you find?"

"It's a raccoon," I said. "But he's hurt. He's barely breathing."

"Oh, no!" said Pinkie, coming up to take a look. "Don't worry, Fluttershy, I can help him."

"Are you sure? It looks really bad. I don't know if he's going to make it."

"Don't talk like that, Fluttershy! I was a nurse for five years, you know, and I promise you your friend will be just fine. Now, get me a horseshoebox or something so we can get this little guy back to your cottage."

I took off flying toward my cottage while Pinkie Pie stayed with the raccoon. When I got back with the box, we gently moved him in and carried him back along the path.

When we arrived, Pinkie Pie cleared off a table. "Bring me the patient," she said.

I laid the box in front of her, and she looked down at her patient.

"The first thing we need to do is clean these wounds," she said. "Fluttershy, bring me a cloth, hot water, and antibacterial soap."

I dashed into the bathroom where I kept all my medical supplies, grabbed the washcloth and the soap, and filled a bucket at the sink. I also grabbed some bandages out of the cabinet, and brought everything to Pinkie Pie.

"Good," she said. She wet the cloth, applied the soap, and gently ran it over the raccoon's entire body. Once he was clean, the raccoon did look much better.

"Yeah, you're gonna be just fine," said Pinkie, smiling. "Next we need to bandage them. Fluttershy?"

"I brought the bandages. Here."

"Good thinking." She took the bandages and gently wrapped them around the raccoon. The raccoon still wasn't moving except for his breathing. Each breath took longer to come after the last one.

"That should do it," said Pinkie. "We'll leave some food and water for him, and then he'll be fine as long as he gets some rest."

She watched the raccoon's breathing intently.

"He'll be fine," Pinkie repeated. "Don't worry, Fluttershy, your friend'll be just fine…"

Finally, his stomach fell and didn't rise again.

"He'll be fine," said Pinkie, "he'll be fine, your friend's not gonna die, Fluttershy, I won't let him die, I promise I won't let him die…"

She put her head in her front legs on the table and cried.

As an animal caretaker, I'd seen my share of animals die. But Pinkie Pie evidently hadn't. It's a very hard thing to experience, but I hope it wasn't too hard for her.


	3. My Oldest Friend

**My Oldest Friend**

As I walked through the forest, I watched the moonlight shine through the canopy and couldn't help but admire my own hoofwork. But that wasn't what I was there for—I turned my attention back to the trail in front of me and continued on until I found the lonely little cottage.

I stepped inside. The zebra was in the back, tending to some broth.

"Good evening," I said with a friendly smile. "You must be Zecora."

"Good evening, Princess Luna," said Zecora. "Please, come inside. I was just making some soup."

"It's almost as if you were expecting me. I remember zebras always used to make the best soup."

"When I witnessed your return, I knew I'd be seeing you before long, and I had a good feeling about tonight. And yes, we did, although I don't think my recipe is as good as the ones my ancestors used."

"It didn't take long for me to hear about you from the residents of Ponyville. You're rather famous among them, you know. By the way, where's your rhyme?"

"I'm not in the mood."

There was an awkward silence between us.

"My mother told me about you. As she heard it from her mother, and so on for all these years," said Zecora. "You were a friend to the zebras more than five-thousand years ago. My great, great…I can't remember how many, knew you well. Back then, you had a different name, and a different form as well."

"That's right. Though I can't even remember what I was called back then." I gave another smile, but Zecora didn't return it.

"What happened to you?"

This was where the smile left my lips.

"The zebras are dying," Zecora continued. "The ponies are slowly but surely taking our land, and killing more of us every day. I live here with a hoof in each world, but I have no illusions; I know the day will come when I have to choose which side I'm going to stay with."

"I know," I said. "Listen. When all this started, all those years ago, I couldn't abandon my sister. I couldn't abandon her then, and I can't abandon her now. That's why I came here tonight. I came to tell you that I'm sorry."

"Very well, Princess Luna."

Her silence told me that I was perfectly understood. I got up to leave.

"Just remember," said Zecora, "you always have a choice. I've made mine, now what will yours be?"

I left.


	4. Alchemy Saigon

**Alchemy Saigon**

"Twilight?" I poked my head around Twilight's living room. No pony there. I looked upstairs, no pony there either. From the kitchen I saw that the door to the basement stairway was open, and cautiously, I went down.

"Twilight?"

"_Run_!" Twilight came bounding out of one of the doors, not so much running as stumbling as fast as she could. She tripped over her own hooves and hit the deck, and a moment later, there was an explosion from the room she'd come from. As the dust settled around us, I helped her back up onto her hooves.

"Twilight, are you okay?" I said.

"Flu-_Flu_tterssshy…" Twilight's voice slurred, and her eyes wandered in every direction except mine. "Goodta'…_Good_ to see you. You came jus' in time…_jus'_ in time to help me out."

"Are you still working on that alchemy stuff? We keep telling you, it's not good to lock yourself inside with all those chemicals for so long."

"Nonsenssse…" she said. "I feel _be'er_ than ev'r. An' I'm so close, too, I swear, F-F'uttershhy, I'm so close to unlocking the secret to _perpetual fire_."

"Maybe you should take a break. I think the fumes here are doing something to your head."

"No, no, com'ere, I gotta…I gotta showya somefin'."

She clumsily stumbled through another door, a different one than she'd come out of, and reluctantly, I followed.

The room was full of glass tubes, flasks, and vials of all shapes and sizes, full of different kinds of substances I couldn't even begin to make sense of. Twilight went over to her table and plopped herself around a particular flask, which was corked with what looked like reddish powder in it.

"See thisss?" she said. "At firs', I thought I's lookin' fer somethin' _luminesn't_, like maybe the ancients jus' saw somefin' glowin' and thought it was fire. But then I foun' somefin' in a book that said, if you use spir't of salt with tin in a glass retort, you can make a fire that dun't burn 'til it comes in'na the _air_. An' I thought, _tha's it_! If the old alchemis's had this stuff in a sealed vault, then when the ancien's opened the vault an' let the air in, the flames would i'nite, and they'd think the fires'd been burning _forever_!"

"That's, um, very interesting, Twilight. So, can we go now, please?"

"Wai', wai', I'm not done. So, I thought maybe spir't of salt an' tin meant something like metallic _sulfide_ salt, tha's known to have _phosph'rescent_ qualities, but no ma'er what I did, I just _couln't_ get it to work. So then I thought, maybe it's _phosph'rus_ based. That stuff'll _def'netly_ catch fire if it gets in the air. Tha's where _this_ comes in. If I made this right, this should catch fire as _soon_ as I take the cork off."

She took me by the withers and shuffled me behind a heavy crate on the other side of the room, where we crouched for cover.

"Watch'is, watch'is," she said. She peeked over the crate and pointed her horn at the flask, and with a gentle tug of magic, the cork came off. Nothing happened.

"Piece'a junk…" said Twilight. "Hol' on, I got'n idea." She went back to the table and got out some more substances.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I said.

"Yeah, yeah, Fluttersh-shush, jus' wait right there, an' I'll be with ya in a moment."

She added a few teaspoons of white powder to the flask while I stayed crouched behind the crate, practically holding my breath.

"There, I think I got it!" She held the flask over her head in triumph.

Then there was an explosion.

When I finally opened my eyes, Twilight was still standing with her front legs up in that triumphant pose, grinning widely, as if the news of what'd happened hadn't yet reached her brain.

Then she fell to the floor.


	5. The Party Pony

**The Party Pony**

"Well, I guess it's time to get going, Pinkie Pie." Twilight was heading out the door, carrying the sleeping dragon on her back. "Thank you so much for hosting Spike's birthday party this year. It was a blast. I don't think Spike's ever had a birthday _that_ wild."

"No problem, Twilight!" I said. "You know me! I'm just glad I could see all your smiles!"

Twilight laughed. "Thanks, Pinkie. I'll see you later."

"Bye Twilight!"

After she was gone, I walked back through the streamers and confetti that were still on the floor and collapsed straight onto the couch. When Gummy came and licked my dangling hoof, I picked it up and rolled my back towards him.

"Making ponies smile is harder than it looks, Gummy," I chuckled. "It's all right. I'm all right. It's just…I wonder if I made the right choice."

After a few more minutes of laziness, I stood up and went over to my writing table. My paper and pens were already laid out.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_ I wrote.

_How're things at home? Things are great over here, as always. My friend Twilight's dragon had a birthday today, and we partied __all__ day long. You would not believe how tired I am right now!_

_I still think about you and the sisters every day. I wish you could be here. But I understand, you have different lives to lead._

I paused.

_I just want you to know, I miss you very much._

_I hope you're smiling every day._

_Love, Pinkie Pie_

I leaned back in my writing chair and let out a long breath. "Don't worry, Gummy," I said. "They'll write back this time. I'm sure of it."


	6. My Discord

**My Discord**

It was one of those mornings where I didn't want to get out of bed, but a Princess has not the luxury of sleeping in. I rose at precisely the usual time, flanked by guards on both sides and surrounded by servants, and was escorted to the bathroom to freshen up for the day's tasks. At the door, I informed my entourage that I wanted some privacy today, and they duly posted themselves outside.

I took a long look at myself in the mirror. There was another gray hair in my mane. I made a note of it and began my very practiced routine.

"My dear, you are looking radiant as ever!" I heard a voice say. "You know, for most ponies, make-up means mascara, blush, and maybe some eye-liner. I only know one pony who applies magic to stop herself aging."

"I know that's not really you, Discord," I said. "I destroyed you."

"Oh, did you? I'm so sorry, I must have forgotten."

"Leave me alone. I know you're nothing but a hallucination. You're a demon I can't get out of my head."

"A demon? Dear Celestia, I am insulted! I'd like to think I'm more of a voice of reason, or a guardian angel, or at the _very least_ a guilty conscience."

I sighed.

"That's some very powerful magic you use there, but I can see it's not perfect. You're still aging, however slowly. How much longer do you think you can keep this up?"

I grit my teeth.

"You know, I myself would have died far longer ago than I did, had you not preserved me in stone. How very interesting. Maybe you really can't be without me."

"That's enough. Be gone."

"You knew what you were getting into all those years ago. When you and your ponies started pursuing your destiny of ruling this planet, there were a few million of you. Now there are billions. What prosperity! What unprecedented growth! Certainly growth like this confirms the wonderfulness of your reign. Certainly prosperity like this can only continue into the eternal future."

"Leave me alone."

"But while your ponies are growing, your world is dying. You are literally consuming it. How much longer, Wonderful Princess? Which will die first: you, or the world?"

"Leave me alone."

"You did this, Princess Celestia. Not me. You are the monster. Not me."

"Leave me alone, leave me alone, _leave me alone_!"

There was a pulse of magic from my horn, and the mirror shattered to pieces and rained down onto the floor. I caught my breath and put on my most composed face before I stepped out of the bathroom to join my servants.

"We're going to need another mirror," I said.


	7. The Dragon Boy

**The Dragon Boy**

_No, no, no, no, no, that didn't happen, I can't believe that happened…_

I was running. In a little forest glade just outside Ponyville, I fell to the ground and let the tears come.

_Why are you crying?_ I said to myself. _You're not the one who was hurt._

_I know._

_Is it really so surprising, what happened? You're not a baby dragon anymore. You've gotten big. You've noticed that ponies have started eying you nervously in the streets. Ponyville's been too small for you for a while now—you've been feeling pent up, trapped, and you've felt that unignorable urge to find a mate. You lost control. It was inevitable._

_No!_

_Stop crying._

_But…But I love Twilight, and Rarity, and all my friends and oh Celestia I never meant to hurt any pony…_

_But you did._

_Why can't things go back to the way they were?_

_You know why. You've always known, and your friends have always known, but you never spoke of it. You all knew that, one day, Spike the baby dragon would grow up; __**what then**__?_

_I didn't want this…_

_You're not a pony. You can't live like a pony forever. __**Wake up**__._

_…What do I do now?_

But at this, my mind was finally silent.

I looked back the way I'd come. That way led back to the only home I'd ever known, and the home of all the family and friends I'd ever loved. In the other direction lay unknown wilderness, where I could disappear and never have to risk hurting any pony ever again.

Which way was I going to go?


	8. The Most Powerful Magic

**The Most Powerful Magic**

I slipped into my bedroom and slammed the door shut, the curtains drawn and the candles unlit, clutching my leather-bound book tightly.

I'd read the works of Hoofcraft before. When I was a filly, his books were what first inspired me to get into magic. He was one of the most talented magicians in the world, was capable of incredible feats, and his books contained thorough, in-depth studies and examinations of magical spells and techniques. He was my role model. I wanted to grow up to be like him.

I actually thought I could do it, too. When I learned my first spells, my friends and family told me I had talent and encouraged me to keep going. I started showing off more and more, and I focused on spells that dazzled audiences over spells with practical function. Eventually I put together a whole magic show; I thought it was the best way to let my talents shine. I don't think that anymore.

Hoofcraft died unexpectedly when I was still young, but before his death, he wrote one last book containing his most closely-held magical secrets. The book was kept safe at various secret locations, but I and other magic connoisseurs of course knew about it. I'd always dreamed of getting to look at that book, and now it was mine. I clutched the book even tighter in my hooves.

I won't bore you with the story of how I got the book, but I will say that along the way, I was warned that the contents had been kept secret for a reason: they were very dangerous. When I opened the book, I could see why. There were spells that claimed to do things I had been told were impossible since magic kindergarten, using magical techniques I'd never seen anything like. That didn't deter me, of course—in fact, it excited me. With these, perhaps I really could follow Hoofcraft and become the Greatest and Most Powerful unicorn in the world.

I set my horn to the first spell in the book. The magic felt like a snake crawling and coiling its way through my guts; it settled in the pit of my stomach, and finally surged outward to every capillary of my skin. I felt a great blast of energy, and the universe felt just a little bit denser. I looked down to spot the fruits of my effort: a speck of dust, barely visible.

I was elated. I jumped and cheered in giddy excitement at what I'd accomplished. A lot of showponies had tricks meant to _look_ like conjuration, but they all used tricks like illusion magic, or they teleported the target in from an unseen place, or if they were really good, they formed it out of surrounding matter. What I'd just done was something I'd always thought was impossible: I had _created matter_.

I turned my attention back to the book. I couldn't wait to try my horn at the next spell.

As I prepared to set out the next day, and I was looking at myself in the mirror, I noticed my coat was a bit scraggly, and there were a few gray hairs in my mane. No problem, I thought—some make-up will cover that right up.


	9. Names

**Names**

I wasn't always called Discord, and I didn't always look the way I do now. My current form was given to me by ancient pony artists, ponies who did not fear me as a symbol of Chaos—far from it, my mish-mashed body symbolized the inter-connectedness of all life, and its creators celebrated me as a guardian of this community: the community of life.

It didn't last.

"Have you heard the name that one tribe of ponies has given me?" I said.

"I have," said my companion. It was that moment that I realized something was wrong with the one I'd come to see. She turned to me to reveal a magnificent pony body, radient white, with both a unicorn horn and pegasi wings. "They call you Discord, the Element of Chaos."

I felt the bottom fall out of my heart, and blood drained out of it like an upturned mug. "What happened to you?"

"Those ponies have given me a new name as well. They call me Princess Celestia."

I tried desperately to say something, but my tongue was tied. She stood at her full height, which towered above any pony I had ever seen, and closed the distance between us.

"You know how it works for our kind. We take on the form that reflects what the creatures of the earth call us. If they call us guardians, we become guardians. If they call us spirits, we become spirits. And if they call me their ruler, I become their ruler."

"Do you know what this means?" I choked. "Every creature in the world, including ponies, and including our kind, has always lived in the care of _the gods_. Do you know what it means for them to declare one of _us_ their ruler?"

"I do. You see, the ponies of this culture have come to a momentous decision. They've decided that they will no longer be ruled by the gods—rather, with me at their helm, _they_ will be the rulers of this world."

"You don't have to do this," I cried. "It's only one tribe that calls you Princess Celestia. There are plenty of others that call you by other names."

"I know even you don't believe that. You know as well as I do what this decision means. Those ponies are enacting a new story for themselves and the world: a story in which ponies are _destined_ to be the rulers of the world, and they will do whatever it takes to make that story come true. They will conquer the world piece-by-piece, destroying every other culture they encounter until nothing remains but _one_. Soon, their will be no ponies left who call me any name but Princess Celestia, and there will be none left who call you any name but Discord."

I sank to the floor. My companion came closer to stand over me.

"Now leave."

I bit back my tears and fled from Princess Celestia. I looked over the plains, the mountains, the forests, and the waters that stretched across the surface of the world, and came to rest on a patch of grass. Before me, a rabbit shook some mites out of his fur and nibbled the blades. Elsewhere stalked a fox who would eat this rabbit, and elsewhere still were the carrions and vultures who would consume the fox once he died. All of these creatures, though they seemed at odds with each other, played their part in the perfectly orderly community of _life_, and because they lived in the protection of the gods, all of these creatures flourished.

That era was over. The ponies who called me "Discord" had decided that this world was _chaos_, and they were going to replace it with _harmony_—their own rule. They had decided I was a monster, and like it always is with my kind, I was to become a monster.


End file.
